How did powerful epic music used to be played?

Out in the field with marching drums and irregularities. The trumpets of the triumphs are accompanied by the cheers of the crowd

Or in cathedrals with loads of echo and reverb, the sound reverberating off the hard walls and surfaces

The clean and sterile recordings of today cut out the crowd and the environment. Letting you hear just the instruments yes. But something is missing.

I’m not saying you need to turn the distortion up to 11. But I can appreciate some ‘imperfections’, particuarly when the point os best emphasised by metal. Like the doom ost.